Häntzschelstiege

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Video of the ascent of the Häntzschelstiege

The Häntzschelstiege is a via ferrata in Saxon Switzerland .

location

The staircase is in the Ostrau district and thus belongs to Bad Schandau . It leads from the foot of the Bloßstocks in the Affensteinen to the top of the Long Horn , north of the Great Winterberg . The Häntzschelstiege overcomes a height difference of around 160 meters over a length of 700 m. After the renovation at the end of the 1990s, the staircase has 516 steps. It consists of two parts, between the lower and the upper part the path is crossed by the upper Affenstein promenade. Both parts can thus be walked on independently of each other.

History of the stairs

The via ferrata was laid out in the 1960s by Rudolf Häntzschel from Sebnitz , to whom the stairway owes its name. He built the Steig on his own initiative, without official permission and largely single-handedly with material that he had partially obtained from scrapyards. It took him about ten years. Häntzschel named the stairs in an effort to ensure their preservation vis-à-vis the authorities, initially Herta-Lindner-Steig , after the resistance fighter Herta Lindner , who was executed in 1943 . The name did not catch on, however. The stairs quickly became a popular tour. This led to the first renovation work in 1986 by adding additional wooden steps at the entrance, as the high level of traffic there had led to considerable erosion damage . After the iron steps and ropes gradually deteriorated over the years, the national park administration made plans in 1998 to block the stairs. There were massive protests against this by hiking clubs, the Saxon Mountaineering Association and the Saxon-Switzerland Initiative . As a result, the lower part was first renovated, and in 2002 the upper part as well.

Since the renovation of the upper part, the staircase has been classified as significantly more difficult, as metal sheets previously used have been replaced by simple steel brackets. The ascent is only permitted. For children, we recommend securing the next ascent with a harness and climbing rope . Hikers who are free from giddiness and sure-footed can climb the stairs in dry weather even without a via ferrata set .

difficulty

The via ferrata is classified with difficulty B.

Frequentation

The Häntzschelstiege is climbed by around 100,000 hikers every year, on individual days there are almost 1,000 climbers on the climb (as of April 2017). The administration of the Saxon Switzerland National Park estimates that around eight to ten percent of climbers break off the ascent due to the high demands.

  • Section of the lower section

  • Fireplace in the upper section

  • Exit of the upper section on the Lange Horn with the Schrammsteinen and the Falkenstein in the background

literature

  • Michael Bellmann: Via ferrata guide for via ferratas and stairs in Saxon Switzerland: The 100 most beautiful climbing systems in Saxon Switzerland , Heimatbuchverlag, Dresden 2012, ISBN 978-3-937537-42-9 .
  • Axel Mothes: The journey is the goal. A foray over 50 lifts in Saxon Switzerland. Self-published, Halle 2005.
  • Axel Mothes: Mountain paths and other paths in the sandstone. Volume II. Self-published, Halle 2009.
  • Peter Rölke (Ed.): Stiegen-Wanderführer Saxon Switzerland. Out and about on narrow paths and the most beautiful stairs. , Berg- und Naturverlag Rölke, Dresden 2012, ISBN 978-3-934514-27-0 .

Web links

Commons : Pictures of the stairs and surroundings  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ http://www.wanderpfade.de/index.asp?kat=16&wp=450
  2. ↑ Helmut Schulze: Stiegenstieg in Saxon Switzerland , in: Bergsteiger 4/2011 , accessed on August 7, 2018
  3. ↑ Peter Rölke: Hiking trail concept Sächsische Schweiz , in: Der neue Sächsische Bergsteiger, 1/1999 , accessed on August 7, 2018
  4. ↑ Assessment of the mountain sports associations of Saxony on the hiking trail concept of the national park administration from November 26, 1998 , Saxon Switzerland Initiative, issue 16, autumn 1999 , accessed on August 7, 2018
  5. ↑ Häntzschelstiege. Klettersteig.de, January 27, 2018, accessed on September 21, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Häntzschelstiege. bergstieg.com, August 6, 2011, accessed September 14, 2019 .
  7. ^ " Test of courage Häntzschelstiege ", Sächsische Zeitung (Pirna edition) from April 26, 2017

Coordinates: 50 ° 55 ′ 6 "  N , 14 ° 14 ′ 9.4"  E